Let's break this down. We're going to add 1909 and 1996 together.

Step 1: We'll start by adding the digits 9 & 6 in column 1 and get 15.
We'll write down the last digit 5 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 2: We'll start by adding the digits 0 & 9 in column 2 and get 10.
We'll write down the last digit 0 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 3: We'll start by adding the digits 9 & 9 in column 3 and get 19.
We'll write down the last digit 9 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 4: We'll start by adding the digits 1 & 1 in column 4 and get 3.

So, 1909 + 1996 = 3905.

